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18
April 2003
That means Easter Sunday is the earliest legal day we can re-open, and that is the date we will aim for.
The decision taken, we had a long look at the property. As I have already noted, there were a few problems to overcome. Well, a lot of problems once I let reality take away the rosy hue.
First I had to get some help. I may be a large sort of chap, but there was no way this could be done on my own. As Chris was going to be running around doing the admin things, I enlisted the aid of a friend and his son who were 'kicking their heels' trying to find an excuse to stay in Brittany for a few weeks longer, before returning to the U.K.
There was some preliminary demolition to do, and a cunning plan devised to get rid of the nasties that had been revealed by the various official inspections.
I had a four-page report setting out the asbestos content in the bar. Three walls were covered with the stuff, probably in a [vain] attempt to keep damp at bay. 'Humidité' is usually a problem with the buildings in rural areas, simply because they have no damp-roof course or cavity walls. Our problem was exacerbated by the 'snug' or 'salon de bar' having been kept virtually unused for ten years or so.
The room was quite literally black with mould. Floor, walls and ceiling. The wooden oak floor was rotten, as were most of the supporting timbers.(I
promise that one day I'll show you photos of the spiders cocooned in
dry rot that we found in our house. Ed.) And what would be revealed when we pulled down the three walls of asbestos cause me a little concern!
We ripped up the floor, setting aside what could be recovered for future use, and dumping the rest in the barn at the rear, where about 60 cordes of wood are stored. A Corde is about 3 cubic metres of logs, so the floor was a drop in the ocean, to mix metaphors.
(If I remember correctly, in the US a cord is 8ft x 4ft x 1ft,
about 1 cubic metre. Ed.)
Into the hole we created went the asbestos!
It is a curious thing that the French actually take some E.U. rulings very seriously. They inspect and report to the
Préfecture, on Asbestos, lead, and other hazardous substances found and identified in all properties that change hands. The vendor pays for these inspections, but I'll bet the buyer ends up with the bill.
The only problem then is what to do with whatever they find. There is no easy way to get rid of asbestos, even the low risk stuff like ours, the cement/asbestos sheeting seen everywhere in most countries as roofing etc. The local
déchetterie won't handle it. There is no one at the town hall that wants to know, and commercial quotes make the eyes water. So local farmers [and others] dig a hole in a low-lying and well-hidden field and stuff it in there. Or so we are told, I don't want to be sued.
I don't subscribe to the concept at all, so I did the decent thing. I had a hole where my floor used to be. I needed some backfill material. I laid 20 cms of ready mixed concrete [and yes, I do know it is called 'béton
prêt à utiliser' ] over my backfill, and found that the asbestos problem was no more.
The concrete delivery man [now a regular visitor to the bar] got the mix to a consistency that virtually laid itself. Little tamping was necessary and the surface when dry took the floor tiles with no problem.
We used a plasterboard with insulating polystyrene backing for the new walls. This sticks up with a mixture of plaster and glue with a distinct stickiness, only associated in the
past with the contents of nappies.
As the walls behind the asbestos panels had been rendered and were in very good order, we started to get ahead of schedule.
This work was in the 'snug' area, and running concurrently, we stripped the original bar area. We would retain the bar itself, and the back counter, but the rest was past saving. We had seen a few weeks earlier a huge mirror in a brocante near Lorient, 35 miles south of us, and I paid a lightning trip in the faithful Trannie. As luck would have it, it was still for sale, and now is much admired as the main bar feature.
We were also running around getting the other materials for the refurbishment. The floors throughout were now concrete [the 'old' bar had been painted a tasteful brick red], and we tiled the whole lot. It was 55 sq, metres of hard graft over two days. Plus a third day grouting.
We were simultaneously painting ceilings and wall to remove the last vestiges of the lead primer and gloss used over the years. The 'plomb' report runs to 17 pages, and we removed everything that could possibly have ever been painted!
After the painting was complete, I had a letter from the
Préfecture. They wanted to know what I was going to do to prevent young children from eating my 'plomb
écaillie' or more simply flaking paint containing lead traces. I gained great satisfaction in reporting that there was no longer any remaining, and this has been acknowledged .One -nil to the Brits.
We were now ready to get in touch with the local drinks wholesaler. We made a
Rep very happy. It is a bad time for them in rural France, with bars closing every month, if not weekly. To be asked to supply a bar that was
re-opening took the man's breath away! With promises of beer dispensers, signage, and freebies, off he went to prepare a suitable initial stock list. It was a bit like
giving a small child free range in a sweetshop, but we had to put him on trust, because of our time limits. He actually did us proud, but there will be some stories to come......
We had decided to have a 'Soirée Privée' on the Saturday night, to invite friends, helpers, and a few selected guests to have a preview, and the list was drawn up and invitations broadcast. We had just a few days left, and were now committed publicly as well as to the inner circle, as to the opening date.
All our work was creating a buzz around the village. If we left the door open, faces would appear and ask 'Vous ouvert?' and become crestfallen when they were told not yet. We heard cars and trucks, screeching to a halt once the
'Bar Bonen' sign went up over the front door, turning sharply into the village square for the
conducteur to alight and poke his head round the door.
We finally put out a handwritten notice on a sandwich board, and the problem abated, but still the heads would appear.
I took advantage of yet another 'promo' at a local Brico store and obtained some very fine luminaires for both rooms of the bar. The two rooms are now one L-shaped room as was the original bar before WW2 or possibly WW1 or even the revolution! The bar dates from Napoleonic days, anyway.
As the second Thursday drew to a close we had done most of the refurbishment and placed the bar back in position. The new mirror reflected weary faces, and all we had to do was receive the stock on Friday, polish the glasses and supervise the fitting of the glass-wash machine and display fridges. We were nearly there.
* * *
If you want to congratulate or encourage him (or sympathise
with Chris and Lucy) e-mail me with
your thoughts or advice, or better still, write to the Notice
Board.
Have fun.
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